Ed Asner

Yitzak Edward Asner was born on Nov. 15, 1929 in Kansas City, KS, as was one of five children born to Lizzie and Morris, both Orthodox Jewish immigrants. While attending Wyandotte High School, the teen was a star athlete in football and basketball. Creatively, he also loved spending time at the local movie house, and got his own start as a performer by announcing sporting events for the school radio station. After graduation, Asner spent several years at the University of Chicago in the city's Hyde Park suburb, where he became active in the student drama group Tonight at Eight-Thirty. In 1951, he was summoned by the U.S. Army, and served two years with the Signal Corps. While stationed in Fr...